Sunset Stranger
by Bell Rae
Summary: 15-year-old Kana has lost everything and finds no reason to continue living. Will a man she meets one evening change her mind? Prequel to "Those Tainted Eyes". ItachixOC
1. Chapter 1

"_Finally," I said, "You're freed from those damn, tainted eyes."_

**~FLASHBACK~**

I scanned the horizon before me, seeing the orange, setting sun fade behind the rolling hills, turning the sky a pinkish purple. The wind blew quickly and quietly, my hair flying from the side of my face to behind my ears. I walked slowly to a shallow hill not far from where I stood, the dying, green grass tickling my bare feet. I was on top of the hill now, facing toward the vast extent of grasslands going west, in the direction of Sunagakure.

I had nothing to live for now; no standards to live up to, no village reputation to live by, and no one to watch me live the life I was supposed to. I had nothing much to begin with, but now there wasn't the "much". All of what I was told to call family – my mother, father, two sisters, aunt, uncle, seven cousins, sister-in-law, and unborn niece – had died. My brother, though, was living somewhere up north last time I heard. The "last time I heard" was four years ago. Half of my dead family was killed by the Kyuubi over 10 years ago. My father, uncle, and three of my male cousins died at war; while one of my sisters was raped and killed at thirteen. A year or so later, my aunt committed suicide, taking her two-year-old daughter with her. About a week afterward, my brother got married, and my last male cousin, who was ten at the time, fell out of a tree at the ceremony, broke his neck, and died later that day in a hospital. My mother decided to put my youngest female cousin, who was three, up for adoption, since she couldn't handle four children alone. The orphanage she was at was set on fire later that week. My sister-in-law, who was seven months pregnant, was stabbed seventeen times in the stomach while she was out buying groceries. With too much pain and bad memories, my brother left town without a word. When I was twelve, my sister and last remaining cousin, who were fifteen and fourteen, decided to try some drugs a kid had offered them. My sister accidentally took too much, and overdosed. By the time I was fourteen, money got tight and my cousin was diagnosed with severe depression. When my mother caught a disease, which she couldn't afford to cure, my cousin couldn't take it anymore and overdosed, too, though this time on purpose. I stayed with my terminally ill mother until she died three days ago. I had no job, no money, no talent, and only the education of a thirteen-year-old.

Should I just end it all, like so many in my family had done in the past? Should I go to the next town, and hope to beg for food or shelter? Or go to where my brother was last seen, and hope that he doesn't turn me away? Maybe I should just stand here, until someone whisks me away to heaven...

I heard grass crunch a little ways away, and I turned slowly, not having reason to be afraid. I mean,

if I was killed or set on fire, who would miss me? Who would bury my corpse and weep for their loss? No one. If I were to die then, then that would be that. There was nothing in life I had to take care of... for it was gone already.

As I turned, I moved a few strands of hair from my face a behind my ears to get a better look at this person. I saw a tall man with black, long hair tied back, but with stray strands hanging on either side of his face standing in front of the mass of trees leading to a deep forest. He wore a black cloak with red clouds and long, wide sleeves, and an upturned collar, hiding his mouth. His eyes were deep onyx and he stared at me, almost questioningly. He stepped further from the forest, and closer to the little hill. He stood in a slightly defensive stance, as if expecting me to attack. A little amused, I spoke softly, "I won't attack, you know." His gaze softened a bit at my voice, but his stance didn't change. Then, I added, "Or escape."

He brought his feet together to stand normally, and said, "What are you doing out here alone?"

I smiled, "Admiring the view. Sunsets are beautiful this time of year, aren't they?"

He softened a little more, "Do you know who I am?" I shook my head slightly, and looked out at the almost completely set sun. "Are you not scared of these cloaks?"

I look back at him, "No. Should I be?"

I knew that if he wanted me to be scared, he would've hurt me by now, which he hadn't. So I said, "Who are you, sunset stranger?"

"Uchiha Itachi, Akatsuki member responsible for the Uchiha massac-"

"How old are you? Sixteen?" I looked at the sun again, but I saw him nod from my peripheral vision. I knew who he was, I didn't need to hear his past crimes.

He took a few more steps towards me, until he was right behind me, looking over my shoulder, "You look young. Fifteen, I suppose?" This time it was my turn to nod. He sighed a little. "So, what are you _really_ doing out here alone?"

I chuckled, "Dying, most likely..."

"Dying? Why is that?"

"I have no where to go anymore, really. No one to live for but myself. I'm not sure if I even want to live anymore."

He was silent, like he understood what I was talking about. Suddenly, he spoke softly in my ear, "How about you live for me?"

I smiled. Live for him? He barely knew me, yet he wanted to keep me from death. I sort of wanted to know why, but he seemed like me: one who didn't like to elaborate on their past. This I accepted, understandingly. I looked back at him, "...Alright."


	2. Chapter 2

I lived, just as Itachi had asked. I went back into town that night in my old, brown top with a missing sleeve and patches of several shades stitched onto where it had been torn. I wore a darker tank top underneath and brown skirt that went down to my lower thigh. I'd been wearing this outfit for four days, washing it every other in the river a half mile from the village. I walked the busy streets, pushing past the lower class rushing to work, and avoiding the glares of the upper class who refused to go near such a dirty, poor girl such as myself.

That was a week ago. I found work at a brothel, but not that kind of work my coworkers did. I simply brought the customers to whoever would be treating them, like a hostess. My boss was a kind, elderly man, who was a big pervert. He was the owner of the brothel, and offered me a job to keep me off the streets. If I wasn't pretty, I would still be there. He was very stingy, but put on a persona whenever a customer walked through the door. His name was Mr. Yuamoto, and he allowed me to sleep in the attic, free of charge, for up to a month.

One late afternoon at work, I was directing an older man to his room, when I looked out the glass window to see Itachi walking by with another man in the same colour cloak. His eyes met mine, and he looked to the man and said something, then walked to the door of the brothel and entered. Seeing my boss watching me, I bowed to Itachi and said, "Konichiwa."

He looked at me and whispered, "So, you kept your promise, eh?" I smiled a little, and nodded.

"Good afternoon, young man. How may we help you today?" Mr. Yuamoto asked.

"Oh, my apologies. I'm not a customer. This girl is someone I know; I'm sorry for the misunderstanding, Sir."

Mr. Yuamoto grabbed my ass, making me gasp, and snickered, "Oh, I see what you mean... I suppose I could give little Kana here a promotion." He winked at Itachi, not taking notice to my reddening face.

Itachi's face blushed a little, too, and tried to look unaffected, "That won't be necessary, Sir. I am not a customer."

Mr. Yuamoto grinned slyly, "Boy, are you a virgin?" Itachi didn't respond. "Ahaha. That would explain your lack of enthusiasm!" He chuckled mightily.

Then, the man I saw with Itachi earlier walked in, "Itachi-san," he said with a hint of humour, "I didn't know you were into this kind of thing! If I'd known, I would've brought you here a long time ago!" He saw me and scanned me up and down.

"I'm not," Itachi said sternly. "Let's go, Kisame." He turned to leave, then looked back at me and paused, "Kisame, go. I'll catch up in a minute." Kisame left obediently, slicking back his blue hair with his hand.

Itachi stared into my eyes, and suddenly I was surrounded by blackness, just he and I. He spoke softly, "Meet me tomorrow where we first met." Then I was back in the brothel, with Mr. Yuamoto's hand still on my ass.

Itachi finally left, and as soon as he did, I turned to my boss, "I don't feel well, can I take the day off tomorrow?" He nodded, and I went upstairs to the attic to think. What happened? Why does he need to talk to me? Who exactly was that other guy? Itachi was a virgin? There were so many questions that I hoped to answer tomorrow. I also had to figure out how I was going to get out of this embarrassing job and find another place to stay. But, for now, I had to sleep. So I curled up on the small futon, pulled the short, quilted blanket on top of me, and went to sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

As I approached the hill that I contemplated suicide on a little over a week ago, I wondered why I changed my mind. Was it really because Itachi asked me not to? Or something more?

I saw him sitting there, cloak-less, staring into nothingness. "Well, here I am," I said, sitting next to him, my feet extended and my hands behind me, supporting me.

He didn't even look at me when he whispered quietly, "Why do you interest me...?" I was shocked at him rhetorical question. "Why did I prefer you to live? ...And why did you change your mind...?"

I looked off into space, too, and thought aloud, "I don't know. Was I too scared to go through with it, and just needed an excuse not to? Or maybe I, too, took an interest in you. I do know what you've done, but..." I looked at him, and he at me, "...I think there's more to it. You're not the murderer the 3rd Hokage passes you off as. There's something more... another reason..." I noted his uncomfortableness. "But that is for another time."

"Don't you have... erm... work?" His cheeks flushed, and I shook my head.

"Speaking of which," I whispered quietly, "is what he assumed true? Y'know, the virgin thing?" He nodded. "Me, too. I don't do the work that everyone else does. I'm... not a whore like them."

"Women who exploit themselves like that irritate me. Though my partner goes to these brothels at least once a week, I can't stand even being inside a building like that." I saw his angry face.

"But... you went in one yesterday, didn't you?"

"I didn't like being there at all. Especially with that guy touching you in such a way," he said slowly.

"Who was he anyways? You partner?"

"A missing-nin of Kirigakure. He seems to put a happy tone on everything."

We talked about our interests for a couple hours, then about the sunset, then later about the sunrise. I felt no need to return to the brothel attic, and it didn't seem that he was in much of a rush, either. All of what we talked about ended up being about his little brother. Not good things, not bad things... just things. He didn't appear to like the 3rd Hokage, nor did he appear to like the elders. He didn't want to remember his life there, and my life there was a blur now. I mentioned wanting to just leave life behind, and he said, "But remember your promise."

Soon I couldn't stand it anymore, and asked, "Why _did_ you want me to live? I was just a poor girl watching the sun set, and you were just a man that just told me not to end my life. Why _do_ I spark your interest?"

He looked me in the eyes, "Your eyes are beautiful. I haven't seen eyes that colour in a long time... It's very refreshing." Was he talking about my dirt-coloured eyes? Or was there a pretty woman sitting behind me? Why would normal, deep brown eyes be 'refreshing' to him?

"I rarely see such a colour anymore... the world is always black and red," he acted as if he read my mind.

"Black and red?" I asked.

He just nodded, and looked out into the distance. "Look, the sun has already fully risen. You should probably get back home."

I felt tears build up in my eyes, "Home? I have no home. I live in a brothel attic, paying rent by greeting disgusting men politely and allowing my boss to feel me up whenever he likes."

He looked like he understood, "Then don't go back. Live out here, where you seem to enjoy being."

I didn't even think about it, but nodded anyway. I felt safe by going with what he said. When he got up, I stayed seated on the grass. When he reached the trees, he turned to me, "I chose to live the life you had been forced to. That is why I am interested in you." And then he left.


	4. Chapter 4

After begging on the streets for three days, I'd finally gathered enough coins to buy some essentials: A spool of tan thread, a needle, three feet of two different colours of fabric, five matches, a woven basket, and a small container of onigiri. I didn't know how to sew at all, but I figured I could attempt some warm, patched-up clothes out of it.

When I got back to the small hill where Itachi convinced me to live until I got everything straightened out, I saw someone had built a fire at the top. I smirked, thinking of Itachi trying to light a fire, and sat down next to it, taking the fabric, needle, and thread out of the basket. I began to cut and sew the baby blue fabric into a hood with a shawl attached to the bottom, like a shroud of some sort. Once that was done, I folded it and put it into the basket to swap it for the pale yellow fabric to sew a scarf. I was almost halfway done with it when I couldn't keep my eyes open and soon fell asleep.

I awoke in the late morning with the fire put out, and the finished scarf nicely folded next to me with the coloured Uchiha symbol stitched into the middle. I smiled, and wrapped it around my neck loosely where the symbol didn't show. Itachi seemed proud of his Clan, but I wasn't so stupid as to flaunt it around Konoha.

****

Two weeks later, I woke to rain, but I was completely dry. I looked around and saw I was now somewhere in the forest, a tall tree serving as my umbrella. All of my things were exactly the way I'd left them, but we were all just... moved. I hadn't seen Itachi since that day he convinced me to live independently in nature, yet he'd been here, doing all of these little things for me. I wished I could see him...

I stood up, the scarf he finished for me still around my neck, since I hadn't taken it off since I found it, and looked around. It was still night, and the eerie trees surrounded me from every direction. I heard a rustle from a nearby tree, and looked just in time to see a tall man jump from it landing in front of me. I looked up to see brown eyes glare back angrily. "It--?"

I didn't have time to finish before the man grabbed me by the neck and threw me against the tree. I sunk down to the ground, my scarf slipping off. He walked closer, and said, "Watcha' doin' here in the woods by yerself, girly?" He saw the Uchiha symbol on the scarf and hesitated, "A-an Uchiha?! No w--" At that moment, he was thrown a distance to my right, and another man with blood red eyes emerged from the shadows.

I shook with fear, his eyes boring into mine. His eyes were like daggers, like they could slit my throat any second. When I could see him clearly, I was shocked to see Itachi was the one in possession of those violent eyes. "Itachi?!"

"Did he hurt you?" he demanded. I nodded a little, and looked away, too scared to look into those death traps. He walked over to the man who was now trying to crawl away and lifted him into the air by his throat, saying, "Mangekyou Sharingan!" The man instantly stilled. A moment later, blood dripped from his lips, and his brown eyes faded to a dull sand colour. His body went limp, and Itachi dropped him, letting his blood form a pool on the damp soil.

Itachi finally turned to me, his eyes transforming back to their original deep black. He frowned slightly and walked over to me, kneeling and wrapping his arms around me. It was then I realized I was crying. He looked into my eyes and wiped a tear that was falling down my cheek. His eyes... were so kind. How could they hold something so terrible? I leaned over until my face was buried in his shoulder and sobbed. He hushed me softly, placing his hand on the back of my head. I cried until I couldn't cry anymore, and slowly pulled my face from his shoulder. I gazed up at him innocently, and he quickly captured my lips with his. My eyes widened in shock, but I kissed him back nonetheless. We stayed like that for a long time.

I finally broke it, a single tear running down my cheek and dripping off my chin, and I smiled a little, feeling reassured. I knew he wasn't going to leave me anytime soon.

* * *

**There's chapter four for you! Don't forget to review...? And perhaps favourite...? **

**Thank you for reading! Check out my other stories, including the fic that this is a prequel to: Those Tainted Eyes.**

**New chapter out probably... mid-week? Stay on alert! :)**

- Alice Rose


	5. Chapter 5

"Itachi?" I called when I awoke the next morning. "Itachi, where are you?" I felt tears well up in my eyes. I didn't want him to have left again.

I stood up shakily and began walking towards the exit of the forest and in the direction of the hill. I felt my legs pick up the pace. Now I was running to find him. I emerged from the trees and stopped. There he was, sitting on the peak of the little hill, his cloak blowing in the light breeze, the rising sun silhouetting him. I walked up the shallow hill slowly until I was close enough to set my hand on his shoulder.

"You shouldn't yell my name so loud like that," he interrupted me. "If someone were to hear you, we'd be in trouble."

"W-what...?" There was something different about him today. Something was off. "Itachi, what's wrong?"

"...Nothing that concerns you," he responded.

"Oh, but it _does_ concern me. Very much so, actually. Tell me what's going on," his attitude was frustrating me. First we kiss, and now he's shutting me out?

He whipped his head around and stared into my eyes. My heart skipped a beat as I wondered for a moment whether the glare seeing into my soul would be red or black. They were their old onyx colour, and I almost sighed in relief if it weren't for the way he stared at me.

"What happened yesterday was inexcusable on my part, and it would be best if the incident were forgotten." Now my heart jumped. Forget it? What was he saying so suddenly?! "I soon realized it was an irrational choice to make, and the decision has made my life more difficult, no matter how small the issue seems. I've been down this road before, and I didn't particularly like how well it came out."

"Y-you... had kissed a girl... before?" my voice shook as the words were forced from my lips.

He sighed deeply, shutting his eyes as if he were preparing for a long, unhappy speech, "Yes, I did. It was a while ago, when I was twelve. I remember her quite clearly, but my mind can't seem to come up with the name. She was an Uchiha with long, black hair. Though not particularly bright, she pushed her way through the academy and was ready to graduate the year after we got together. She hadn't awoken the Sharingan yet, and even so, we became lovers. That girl was enjoyable to be around, and I'd actually planned to perhaps marry her, but, of course, the massacre of the Uchiha clan made no exceptions, no matter the status."

"You killed her? Your lover?" He nodded his head firmly.

"They were a tainted clan, you must understand..."

Then I recalled his eyes, how murderous they seemed. Were they a danger to the village? Though I didn't doubt Itachi's intelligence, I couldn't imagine him working alone on such a project. Were there times he was hesitant? Did he make it quick and painless for those he loved? Perhaps she...

"...How did she die?" I couldn't stop myself from speaking in time.

He blinked a few times, rather taken aback by the sudden and irrelevant question, "I... stabbed her in the chest... thirty-seven times..."* His head turned back to the sun, which had mostly risen by now.

My expression must have been bad, considering he didn't turn back to face me again. I found my legs wouldn't support me anymore, so I crashed to the floor to a kneeling position, my hair blocking the majority of my view. I wanted to ask why. I wanted to ask how. I wanted to ask how morally corrupted one could be... But I didn't. He seemed ashamed enough as it was.

"...I don't feel like answering your questions, so please don't bother yourself with them."

It felt as if he read my mind. Usually no one comes close to knowing my thoughts. That's the only way I felt safe. I knew my mind could be treated like a sanctuary, a place no one could reach. I didn't mind people misunderstanding my intentions, as long as I knew.

I finally stood up again, the lightheaded feeling disappearing quickly. My hand tugged at his shoulder, and he reluctantly responded, getting up slowly and facing me.

"Do you regret it?" I whispered, knowing he'd understand.

"No. Never. I've always thought things through. Though I didn't really think this one through, I've had enough time to analyze it. I'm truly interested in you. I don't necessarily know what that means yet, but I know it involves wanting you here. I'm not sure whether it was a mistake or not, but I know I would only regret it if I hadn't done what I did."

I understood, surprisingly enough, and tugged at his sleeve, pulling him back to the trees where my belongings were at. As he was about to sit down, I grabbed the collar of his cloak and yanked him back up to face me again. I stared into his eyes wonderingly, pondering 'what if's and 'how come's. In the end, however, I decided to just let it be. Whatever happens will happen. You will always ponder and hope, but you always know what happened was most likely for the better.

"I'm interested in you, too, Itachi. I'm not all too sure what that's intended to mean, either, but I'm willing to wait and see, aren't you?"

He smiled his small smile, and now I knew for sure that everything would be just fine.

* * *

**Chapter 5 finally, eh? I apologize if it was too philosophical for some, but that was just my mood today. **

*** If anyone knows where that's from, let me know, and I'll give you virtual cookies in Chapter 6!**

**I'm balancing three stories right now, and am currently in the process of thinking how to fix another one... (Man, why did Kisame have to come back and ruin my fics?)**

**It will most likely not be as long of a wait, but we'll see, won't we? ;)**

- Alice Rose


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